$100k salary, packing up from Houston
changea dispatch from
kansas city
MO
39.10°N
94.58°W
Kansas City is barbecue (burnt ends are a local invention), jazz (the 18th and Vine district fed Charlie Parker and Count Basie), and fountains everywhere you turn. The city straddles two states and doesn't make a big deal out of it. The Plaza shopping district looks like Seville, which is delightfully odd for the Midwest. Friendly here means genuinely friendly.
the verdict
the monthly premium over Houston
Kansas City runs a little pricier than Houston. The case has to be about something other than rent.
a quick ledger.
$1,502/mo
7% cheaper than Houston(vs $1,610/mo)
4.7%
$392/mo more in state tax than Houston
vs 0% in Houston
$6,440/mo
$283 less than Houston
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$326k
5% more expensive than Houston
vs $311k in Houston
2.2M
vs 7.5M in Houston
field notes, weather & such.
170
pleasant days a year, in kansas city.
Houston edges ahead with 171 pleasant days. Winter has bite, though: 26 days drop below 20° vs Houston's 1.
But the calendar thins out: Houston stays 2.5× busier.
56/100
2% higher than Houston
vs 55/100 in Houston
Closest outdoor draw: Perry State Park, 48.7 mi.
94/100
22% higher than Houston
vs 77/100 in Houston
43
76% fewer than Houston
vs 176 nonstops in Houston
neighbors of kansas city on the map of tradeoffs:
